The FSU Colloquia

Overview
The First-Year FSU Colloquium
The Advanced FSU Colloquium
Faculty Submittal of Proposals
UUCR Review Form

Overview
The FSU Colloquia have been created to help students “Foster a Sense of Understanding” about the inherent interdisciplinarity of the world in which they live. In its report on the issues facing higher education in the twenty-first century, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (2002) notes, “Our nation goes to college because the world is complex, interconnected, and more reliant on knowledge than ever before” (p. 2). Society does not exist in discrete disciplinary silos; as a result, the University has the responsibility to help students develop the skills necessary to consider a topic or issue from a variety of perspectives.

Interdisciplinary courses like the Colloquia also support the University’s concept of liberal education as espoused in its Statement on Liberal Education. Furthermore, research has shown (e.g., Newell, 1994) that “students in high-quality interdisciplinary courses are consistently reported to develop the traditional liberal arts skills of precision and clarity in reading, writing, speaking, and thinking; to confront challenges to their assumptions about themselves and their world; and to develop the habit of asking ‘why’ instead of merely memorizing accepted facts” (p. 35). In addition, interdisciplinary experiences support University learning goals and general education learning goals for critical thinking and synthesis.

Therefore, FSU considers as interdisciplinary courses those organized to integrate insights from multiple perspectives about a current issue, theme, problem, cultural or historical period, world area or national region, or other unifying principle.

Association of American Colleges and Universities (2002). Greater expectations: A new vision for learning as a nation goes to college. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Newell, W. (1994). Designing interdisciplinary courses. New directions for teaching and learning (58), pp. 35-51.

The First-Year FSU Colloquium
The First-Year FSU Colloquium, an option in a student’s program of general education that ideally should be completed within his/her first thirty hours, will have as its primary goal the modeling by faculty of diverse approaches and the integration of those approaches in consideration of an inherently interdisciplinary course topic. In the early stages of students’ college careers, modeling the ambiguities and the search for resolutions in interdisciplinary thought is particularly valuable as a precursor to the types of connections they will be expected to make in their studies.

The course is currently an option for a general education elective; beginning in fall 2007, it will be required of all students.

The following First-Year FSU Colloquia provide examples of the types of courses that have been created.

"Energy: Now and Tomorrow"

Energy is required for life. Human beings have come to rely on energy for maintaining economic growth and improving living standards. In a physical world where mineral resources are virtually finite, the pattern of energy use must change. In the FSU Colloquium, "Energy: Now and Tomorrow," students will focus their exploration of these issues on the allocation and use of energy resources, including the physical and geographic characteristics, the economic market forces, and the geopolitical forces that influence energy resources.

In the course, students will explore issues of energy through readings in economics, science, and current events Students will learn to find and interpret information about energy use by country and by energy type They will be introduced to issues of energy as a result of global resources, current global production and consumption, global use patterns, and market exchanges. Students will apply what they have learned through participation in various simulation exercises, in-class work, and case studies.

The two content areas of the Modes of Inquiry of general education being introduced to students are economics (Social Sciences) and physical science (Natural Sciences).

"Experiencing Appalachia"

Dating from the time of Anglo-explorers' initial forays into the region's rugged terrain, Appalachia--particularly southern Appalachia, which extends from Pennsylvania into northern Alabama--has been envisioned by scholars, authors, laypeople, religious leaders, and government entities alike as a unique area characterized by both its physical features and the cultural idiosyncrasies of its human inhabitants. Recent decades, however, have introduced much change to rural Appalachia's physical and cultural landscape. In the First-Year FSU Colloquium, "Experiencing Appalachia", students will investigate the Appalachia of fact and fiction, an experience that is particularly relevant due to FSU's location in Appalachian Maryland.

Drawing upon specific Modes of Inquiry content areas of history (the humanities), biology (natural sciences), economics (social sciences), and folklore studies, students will examine Appalachia through four broad time periods dating from the late 18th century to the present day. A wide variety of learning experiences will include field trips, group discussion, case studies, and class debate.

The Advanced FSU Colloquium
The Advanced FSU Colloquium, available as an option in general education to undergraduate students who have completed forty-five credit hours, employs a pedagogical model predicated on inquiry-based learning. In comparison to the First-Year FSU Colloquium, which focuses on considering a complex, determined topic from multiple disciplinary perspectives, an inquiry centered colloquium emphasizes that “Disciplinary connections and perspectives are not sought as ends in themselves, but rather as tools for making sense of a problem” (Finkel, 2001, p. 217).

In an inquiry-centered colloquium, the focus shifts from the teacher’s modeling of interdisciplinarity to the students’ development of knowing through interdisciplinary thought and exploration, including research.

An example question of inquiry illustrates the structure of an Advanced FSU Colloquium and demonstrates how such a course can facilitate such intellectual growth. In a colloquium that examines post-September 11 social structures, the question of inquiry may be posed as follows: “How can a modern society balance issues of personal safety, national security, and individual freedom?” Students then consider a variety of indicators in their search to build a coherent response to a single complex issue. Ultimately, each student develops a personal integration of experience, research, and opinion, creating a distinct achievement unique to each student. Because the Advanced FSU Colloquium is scheduled at a time in students’ academic careers when they have completed the majority of courses in general education and have usually begun their majors (after the completion of forty-five credit hours), the Colloquium provides a further opportunity to support students’ intellectual development, offering the opportunity to view, through research and personal exploration, an issue from the context of their major disciplines in relation to the larger world.

Other examples of an inquiry-based Colloquium include:

• American Culture: “How will the increase in the Latino population impact the United States?”
• Economics and the Environment: “How should we balance economic prosperity and environmental protection?”
• Globalism: “How can we create an “interdependent global community?”

Finkel, D. (2001). Should the teacher know the answer? Two ways to organize interdisciplinary study around inquiry. In B. Smith and J. McCann (Eds.), Reinventing ourselves: Interdisciplinary education, collaborative learning, and experimentation in higher education (pp. 212-229). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing.

Faculty Submittal of Proposals
All members of the FSU faculty are invited to submit proposals for both First-Year and Advanced FSU Colloquia. Click here for proposal guidelines & forms.